Improvement in shafts for vehicles



ZSheets--lShee't-I. l. l. DEWEY. Shafts for Vehiclas.

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l. DEW EY. Shaffs for Vehicles.

`Patented Dec. 2,1873.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. DEWEY, F QUEOHEE, VERMONTI' IMPROVENIEN'I IN SHAFTS FOR VEHICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145,055, dated December 2, 1873; application led September 29, 1873.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN J. DEWEY, of Quechee, in the county of Vindsor and State of Vermont, have invented an Improvement in Shifting Thills for Sleighs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this speciiication, in which- Figiue l is a plan of my improved shifting thills. Fig. 2 is a plan of the under side of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan representing the thills shifted to one side ofthe center. Fig/1 is a section on the line x a; of Fig. l.

In some portions of the county where there is a great depth of snow in the roads it is customary to attach the thills or shafts of a sleigh on one side of the center, in order that the horse may travel in front of one runner to beat down a hard path for the same, the path for the other runner being trod down by horses going in the opposite direction. In-order to allow of the thills being lifted back to the center when the sleigh is to be used in a city or on a wide trod den road, and especially when it is desired to trot at a rapid pace, a sliding coupling has been used; but this necessitated the employment of a transverse bar attached to the front of the runners, part of the sliding coupling being secured to the thills and part to the transverse bar. This was objectionable for the reason that sleighs built for use in cities and large towns are not furnished with this transverse bar, which has to be afterward applied, at an additional expense, if the sleigh is to be used in the country, and, furthermore, gives it a clumsy appearance. Then the thills are permanently attached on one side, as is often the case, the transverse bar projects out on the same side to a considerable distance, and, if it is desired to remove the thills and substitute a pole, this projecting bar would require to be removed, which would involve considerable trouble and delay.

This invention has for its object to overcome these difliculties; and consists in a pair of thills constructed with a sliding device placed between the straight and the curved or inner portions, instead of between the thills and the sleigh, which construction enables me to dispense with the transverse bar and avoid the objections incident to its use, while the curved portions of the thills are always in thesame place, and there is no liability of any portion of a sleigh moving in the opposite direction catching in the bent portion of the thill, as is liable to occur when the entire thill is shifted out to one side, as heretofore, the sliding device being so constructed as to form a stili' and rigid connection between the straight and curved portions of the thills, which is necessary, in order that the draft may be from the usual point.

. To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A A represent a pair of sleigh-thills, the straight portions 5 of which are made separate from the curved or inner portions 6. The long straight portions 5 areconnected and held together by two transverse bars, a a, and the short curved portions 6 are held together by two transverse bars, b b, and these portions 5 6 are united bymeans of double sliding joints cd. These joints are each formed of two horizontal rods, 7 8, thoseof the joint c being secured by means of metal straps e and nuts f to one of the straight portions 5 and the bars a a, while the rods ofthe joint t are held by straps g an d nuts h to one ot' the curved portions 6 and the bars b b. These rods slide in and are guided by eyes fi t' k 7c, the eyes t' t' being bolted to one of the curved portions 6, and the eyes k 7c to one of the straight portions 5. By means of these double sliding joints the straight and curved portions of the thills are held rigidly together, so as to insure the draft being from thepoints 9, where the thills are connected to the sleigh by means of ordinary couplings; but when the sleigh is to be used on country roads where the snow is of great depth, and it is desired to'throw the thills out to one side of the center, they are shifted into the position seen in Fig. 3, where they are held fast by a springcatch, Z, which also holds them when in the position seen in Fig. l; and it will be seen that the portions 5 5 only project out, instead of the entire thill, as heretofore, the curved portions always remaining in the same place, and consequently the thills or other portion of a sleigh moving in. the opposite direci; liable to occur when it projects out` to one side, as heretofore.

Vhen the sleigh reaches a city or large town, where the roads are wide and Well trodden down, or when it is desired to trot at a rapid pace, the thills can be readily shifted back to a central position, as seen in Fig. l. This becomes necessary when trotting rapidly, as the horses heels would be liable to come into contact with the ruimer of the sleigh, if the thills Were on one side of the center. By the eniployment of a pair of thills constructed in accordance with my invention, a sleigh can be readily adapted for use either in the country' or city, and the necessity of applying a long transverse bar to the front of the sleigh, which has to be removed when a pole is applied, is thus entirely avoided.

Any suitable catch other than that shown may be employed to hold the thills in either of the positions shown in Figs. l or 3.

I do not claim, broadly, a pair of thills constructed so as to be capable of being shifted or slid to one side of the center of the sleigh to which they are attached, but

Vhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Ihe sliding joints 0 d, placed between the straight and curved portions of the thills, so as to form a rigid connection, all combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

lfitness my hand this 19th day of September, A. D. 1873.

JOHN J. DEWEY. In presence of- VM. S. DEWEY, XVALTER PALMER. 

